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A Georgia business founder was killed in a small plane crash that left another man hospitalized after the pilot reported engine trouble.
Dad of two Eric Stephens, 57, was killed after the plane crashed into the woods just one mile from Gwinnett County airport at around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, FOX 5 reported.
Stephens, the founder of the Georgia health technology company zPaper, was one of two people on board the Velocity-173 FG aircraft – a single-engine plane that can carry up to four people. Peter Magnuson, who was identified as the other person on board, survived.
The plane had been airborne for around 90 minutes when the pilot reported a “rough engine,” according to audio obtained by Atlanta News First. It’s unclear who was at the controls.
“It looks like we’re going in the trees,” the aviator said, moments before the crash.
Meanwhile, witnesses told the outlet they saw what looked like a fireball hurtle toward the ground.
“Me and my oldest daughter went out and looked up, and we could see an airplane and the back part of it on fire,” Jenny Constantino, who lives around 20 miles from the crash site, told ANF.
“So, we just kind of watched, and you could see it going down.”
Stephens, who leaves behind a wife and two daughters, died at the scene while Magnuson was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our founder, Eric Stephens, Ph.D.,” a company spokesperson said after medical examiners positively identified his body.
“Eric built zPaper over 20 years and was a mentor and friend to everyone here.”
Stephens was a popular member of the Roswell United Methodist Church — the son of a preacher who had been part of the church choir for 30 years.
“When Eric reached his last breath, God’s tears were the first to fall … it broke God’s heart ,” Derek Porter, the church’s pastor, told ANF.
It’s unclear what caused the engine trouble. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
A preliminary report is expected sometime in December.
The Post has reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB for comment.
